aNewDomain — Are you ready for some football?
Okay, that’s a rhetorical question. We are all ready for some football. Actually, we are ready for lots of it.
Some of us entered our deep football funk during the second half of the Super Bowl. It was a good game, but we serious NFL fans could not help but think that it was also our last view of football for several months.
When the NFL released the preseason schedules Thursday, we diehards were immediately warmed by the fact that we could circle Aug. 9 on our calendars. That is the night football returns.
Here is a week-by-week look at the preseason along with games that you should go ahead and circle on your calendar. While these games do not count, any one of them beats summer reruns and horrible reality shows. Horrible reality shows. Sorry for the redundancy.
Hall of Fame Game
Aug. 9, 2015
Minnesota vs. Pittsburgh, 8 p.m. (EST), NBC
In keeping with tradition, this is the only game of the week. It will be interesting to see how Vikings’ quarterback Teddy Bridgewater starts his second NFL season and almost equally as curious to watch the Steelers defense without longtime coordinator Dick LeBeau. He and the team parted ways, and the veteran coach landed with the Tennessee Titans.
Week 1 (Aug. 13-17)
Game of the Week: Green Bay at New England: Super Bowl preview? Well, it might not be much of one since the starters only last a series or two in the preseason. But it is always fun to see Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady match skills, even if it is only for the first quarter at most.
Other games …
Carolina at Buffalo
Dallas at San Diego
Denver at Seattle
Indianapolis at Philadelphia
Kansas City at Arizona
Miami at Chicago
New Orleans at Baltimore
New York Giants at Cincinnati
New York Jets at Detroit
Pittsburgh at Jacksonville
San Francisco at Houston
St. Louis at Oakland
Tampa Bay at Minnesota
Tennessee at Atlanta
Washington at Cleveland
Week 2 (Aug. 20-24)
Game of the Week
Chicago at Indianapolis: Both teams are making their share of moves on the offensive side of the ball, so this game will give us a sneak preview of what 2015 has to offer. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler looked awful most of last season and the Colts’ running game was non-existent. Both areas will have to improve if either team wants to make a mark in the postseason.
Other games…
Buffalo at Cleveland, Aug. 20, ESPN
St. Louis at Tennessee, Aug. 23, FOX
Cincinnati at Tampa Bay, Aug. 24, ESPN
Atlanta at New York Jets
Baltimore at Philadelphia
Dallas at San Francisco
Denver at Houston
Detroit at Washington
Green Bay at Pittsburgh
Jacksonville at New York Giants
Miami at Carolina
New England at New Orleans
Oakland at Minnesota
San Diego at Arizona
Seattle at Kansas City
Week 3 (Aug. 27-30)
Game of the Week
San Francisco at Denver: It is always fun to watch Peyton Manning play quarterback, even at age 39. The 49ers are coming off an absolute clunker of a season, one that proved to be Jim Harbaugh’s final one as coach. When these teams met in the 2014 regular season, the Broncos won 42-17.
Other games…
Detroit at Jacksonville, Aug. 28, CBS
Seattle at San Diego, Aug. 29, CBS
Houston at New Orleans, Aug. 30, FOX
Arizona at Oakland, Aug. 30, NBC
Atlanta at Miami
Chicago at Cincinnati
Cleveland at Tampa Bay
Indianapolis at St. Louis
Minnesota at Dallas
New England at Carolina
New York Jets at New York Giants
Philadelphia at Green Bay
Pittsburgh at Buffalo
Tennessee at Kansas City
Washington at Baltimore
Week 4 (Sept. 3-4)
Game of the Week
Jacksonville at Washington: Since the last weekend of the preseason is basically a joke – no team wants to see a starter go down with an injury at this point – this game qualifies as the pick of the litter. It could set the pace for deciding which team will have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Other games …
Arizona at Denver
Baltimore at Atlanta
Buffalo at Detroit
Carolina at Pittsburgh
Cincinnati at Indianapolis
Cleveland at Chicago
Houston at Dallas
Kansas City at St. Louis
Minnesota at Tennessee
New Orleans at Green Bay
New York Giants at New England
Oakland at Seattle
Philadelphia at New York Jets
San Diego at San Francisco
Tampa Bay at Miami
Once the preseason starts, we will not be able to wait for the regular season to begin. That will have to wait until Sept. 10 when the champion Patriots open things at home. My guess is the opponent will be the Eagles or Steelers, outside shot at the Bills.
Unfortunately, that day will have to wait for several months. For now, we are looking forward to Aug. 9, for a game that does not count.
Football means that much to us.
For aNewDomain, I’m Rodney Campbell.
